“Kai!” He heard Liam’s voice, and it just spurred him on. Liam called again, and Kai broke into a run and then he just kept running.
28
Kai walked past the cafe for the sixth time, trying not to draw attention to himself. He glanced at the “help wanted” sign taped beside the door but couldn’t convince himself to go inside.
He’d spent the last week roaming the streets, staying away from all of the places that Liam might look for him but had still found himself outside the little cafe on Queen Street without consciously deciding to go there. The place had changed since the last time he’d visited. He peered into the window looking for Misty, the owner, but couldn’t see her. All of the furniture had been updated, and a bar was attached to the front counter. Everything was pale pink and white with planters of oversized tropical plants. It was on a corner lot, so bright sunshine spilled in from both sides, and Kai could see inside all the way to the back, where it looked like it had been converted into a small bookshop. It wasn’t too full, and most of the patrons were enjoying their treats and the weather on the narrow patio that circled the front and side of the building.
He looked at the help wanted sign again, but the idea was almost too ridiculous to entertain. He hadn’t told Matteo that hewasn’t coming back, mostly because he didn’t want to face him, and he hadn’t gone home to the trailer for the same reason. He knew that Liam would give the money he’d taken from Nolan to Jason, even if he never told them where he got it from. Kai wanted no part of it. He was done with Liam. It felt like their relationship had been irrevocably broken, and while it hurt, there was an underlying feeling of relief.
Unfortunately, it also meant that he was on his own again for the first time in a long time. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about much. He would either figure it out or he wouldn’t. He could go back to Matteo, or he could try something new. He had a little bit of money in the account that Nolan had set up for him, since Matteo had put him on his payroll, but that wasn’t going to last long.
His heart clenched the way it did whenever his thoughts slipped to Nolan, but he was learning to live with the sick, painfully empty feeling inside him. Nothing hurt worse than missing him. Nothing hurt more than replaying the image of him closing that door over and over.
Kai snapped to attention when he registered a lady approaching the door from the inside. Her hands were full, with a tray laden with a coffee carafe, a glass of water and a small plate of pastries. She beamed at him when he reached, automatically, for the door and opened it for her. Kai knew from his previous visits that she worked there. He’d seen her chatting with patrons and clearing tables. She’d been wearing a white apron over her jeans but appeared to be on break because she wasn’t wearing it now.
Kai debated with himself as she took a seat at the table closest to the door. It was a stupid idea. He was very keenly aware that it had been days since his last shower. He’d been alternating between the clothes he’d been wearing when he left Nolan’s and what he had in his backpack, but everything heowned desperately needed washing. It just hadn’t been a priority. He was exhausted from never sleeping longer than half an hour at a time, and he couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten.
Wait. That had been two days ago. He’d gone dumpster-diving in a fit of rebellion, but then a wave of grief had hit him so hard that it knocked the wind out of him when he remembered that Nolan wasn’t there to give a fuck if he broke the rules. The box of crackers he’d found had turned instantly to chalk in his mouth. He’d kept them though, sticking them in his backpack, just in case.
“Were you thinking of applying for the job?”
Kai turned towards the woman, heat flooding his face. She smiled encouragingly while she fixed herself a cup of coffee. He shoved his hand through his greasy hair.
“I was thinking of talking to Misty about it. Is she, um, here?” he asked self-consciously.
“Oh, no. Misty is currently cruising around the Bahamas with her husband.”
Kai’s shoulders slumped. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“A few weeks, I think. Have you known Misty long?”
“I knew her a long time ago. She, um, helped me sometimes. She used to let me help out every once in a while.”
“That sounds like her,” she said fondly, like they were talking about a mutual friend. “Why don’t you sit and talk to me about the job?”
Kai looked at her, surprised.
“I’m Abigail. Misty retired a few years ago. I’m the new owner of Beans on Queen.” She held out a hand, and Kai looked down at his, then quickly shook his head, blushing, hoping she wouldn’t be offended.
She smiled and indicated the seat across from her. “Have a seat. Coffee?”
Kai nodded, and he could hear Nolan whisper, “Use your words,” in his ear like he was standing right next to him. His heart pulsed painfully.
“Yes, please.” Kai slid into the seat, pushing the chair back from the table to keep some distance between them.
“I saw you checking out my sign a few times, but I started to doubt you were ever going to make it inside,” she said, offering him cream and sugar. She pushed the pastries towards him.
“I probably wasn’t,” Kai admitted, hunching in on himself. He cupped his hands around the hot mug, letting the heat soothe him. When he took a sip, he could have cried at the taste of sweet, perfectly brewed comfort.
“Then it’s probably a good thing I’m more of a bull-by-the-horns person.” She beamed at him again. “What’s your name?”
“Kai. Kai Da Silva.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kai. Now, I need someone to help me open in the mornings. My current girl is leaving me at the end of summer to go to school in Guelph, so I’m hoping to hire someone quickly so that they can get some proper training before then. Right now, it’s part-time hours, from five a.m. to eleven, Monday to Friday. Would that work for you?”
“Yes. For sure.” Kai hesitated. “I don’t have any experience though.”
“Well,” she said, “it’s not rocket science. Mostly, I just need you to be reliable and nice to people, though that last one is pretty negotiable. Can you work with that?”
